Eumeta crameri

Taxobox
name = Eumeta crameri
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Lepidoptera
familia = Psychidae
genus = "Eumeta"
species = "E. crameri"
binomial = "Eumeta crameri"
binomial_authority = (Westwood)

"Eumeta crameri" is a bagworm moth that spins its cocoon all its larval life, decorating it with small twigs, bark and thorns from the trees on which it feeds. (For this reason, it is sometimes known as the large faggot worm.) After hatching, the larva climbs to the top of its host tree and begins feeding on the tender shoots.

The "Eumeta crameri" larva renovates its case three times during the 2- to 3-month larval stage, doing it progressively faster each time. Case renovation consists of replacing the twigs and thorns that make up the case with longer materials, with one piece noticeably longer than the others. The larva approaches 3 cm in length when entering the pupa stage. Adult male moths are reddish brown with wings.

"Eumeta crameri" has worldwide distribution in tropical and subtropical habitats, including India, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Puerto Rico.

Females lay about 500 eggs that incubate for 10 to 15 days.

As the larvae grow, they prefer older leaves and bark of a variety of hosts: acacia (wattle), tea, mimosa, australian pine, eucalyptus, gmelina, lychee, thuja, rangoon creeper, strawberry guava and many other species.

Some host species of commercial significance, such as acacia and tea, are particularly susceptible to "Eumeta crameri". As a result, this species is frequently dealt with as a pest. Some plantations are treated with aerial insecticides to protect the host plants. Plantation environments are more susceptible to the larvae than natural habitats.

ources

* [http://web.archive.org/web/20041221031809/http://www.upasitearesearch.org/pestmanagement_content.html Upsasi Tea Research Foundation] Retrieved on 23 October 2005.
* cite journal
last =Agrawal
first =Arvind
authorlink =
coauthors =Kumar Pati, Atanu
title =Larval case renovation – a unique behaviour in bagworm moth, Eumeta crameri Westwood
journal = Current Science
volume = 85
issue =12
pages =1674–1679
date =2003-12-25
url = http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/dec252003/1674.pdf
accessdate = 2007-09-11
* cite journal
last =Agrawal
first =Arvind
authorlink =
coauthors = Kumar Pati, Atanu
title = Hierarchical perception of stimuli during case construction in the bagworm moth Eumeta crameri (Lepidoptera: Psychidae)
journal = Journal of Insect Behavior
volume = 13
issue =5
pages =667–677
date = 2000
url = http://www.metapress.com/content/p8r1561u1k6h08l3/
doi =
accessdate = 2007-09-11
* cite journal
last =Ameen
first =Mahmud-Ul
authorlink =
coauthors = Sultana, Parvin
title = Biology of the bag-worm moth "Eumeta crameri" Westwood (Lepidoptera: Psychidae) from Dacca, Bangladesh
journal = Journal of Natural History
volume = 11
issue =1
pages =17–24
date = 1977
doi = 10.1080/00222937700770021